Polish Lawyer Condemns German Pursuitโ of Nord Stream Pipeline Suspect Amid Ukraine War
Warsaw, Poland – The lawyer representing a Ukrainian national facing extraditionโ to Germany in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions has sharply criticized the โGerman prosecution, calling it “amazing” given the ongoingโ war in Ukraine and the pipelines’ ties to Russia. The suspect,identified as Volodymyr Z,currently resides near Warsaw,Poland,and maintains his โขinnocence.
Germany has one week to formally submit anโ extradition request, with a hearing โฃexpected no later than next Wednesday.Though, lawyer Michaล Paprocki argues the timing and focus ofโข the German investigation are deeply flawed.
“We are talking about the war, โฃwe are talking about Ukrainian people, we are talking about Russian aggression towards Ukraine. โคWe should knowโ that every day in Ukraine people die, killed by drones and the Russian army,”โ Paprocki stated.He emphasized that Nord โStream 1 and 2 are properties of Gazprom, a company โcontrolled by the Russian government and financially supporting the war โeffort.
“For me it is unbelievable – I can’t imagine a situation where my clientโ or any Ukrainian citizen has [to] go to Germany and isโข accused of โคthis in democratic Europe. Also,from my personal perspective โคit couldn’t be โa justice process in โฃGermany,” Paprocki added.
Volodymyr Z,who has lived in Poland for approximately three years with his wife and two children,owns a construction business specializing in ventilation โขsystems. โขhis home was searched lastโ year by both Polish and German police. Paprocki asserts his client “did nothing wrong against the Germans” and denies any involvementโ in the pipeline damage.
The โlawyer expressed confidence in the Polish โjustice system to prevent the extradition, โstating, “I โam confident we will โbe able to demonstrate ourโฃ positionโ and Iโข firmly believe, ultimately, in โPolish โฃjustice and the Polish government.”
Paprocki suspects โthe case is motivated by โGerman and Russian business โinterests, pointing to the historically close commercial relationship between the two โขcountries. โขIn 2021, โฃprior to Russia’s February 24, โฃ2022, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, trade between Germany โandโ Russia reached โฌ60 billion, encompassing goods like gas, oil, and automobiles.
He warned that extraditing his client woudlโฃ signal thatโค “business transactions between countries are prioritised overโฃ compassion and the value of individuals as โhuman beings.” Paprocki believes Germany should instead focus on “exerting pressure on Russia toโ end the war and refrain from accusing the Ukrainian people.”